Starting a branding or website project for your nonprofit is a big step for your organization, but with a little preparation, it’s a great chance to boost your impact and get your team aligned as well.

Before jumping in with a design or branding agency, hit pause to set clear goals with your team. 

This checklist will help you think through key questions about your goals, resources, and how you like to communicate, so when you start working with a design firm you’ll be ready to hit the ground running.

Goals

• Define Success: What would be the best result of a branding or website project? (Circle your top 2 goals or add your own!)
  • Increase donations
  • Communicate message more clearly
  • Gather event registrations
  • Streamline systems
  • Save my team time
  • Build credibility and authority
• Budget: What’s a comfortable (and realistic) budget range to accomplish these goals?
• Timeline: Do you have a specific timeframe or deadline for the project?

Stakeholders

• Questionnaire: Who should we get feedback from about our current brand?
• Approval Process: Who will review and provide feedback on design work?
• Hierarchy: How will you prioritize feedback internally? Who has the deciding voice? 

Reputation

• Current Perception: What compliments (or complaints) do you hear often about your organization?
• Desired Image: What do you want to be known for?
• Bridging the Gap: Are there any misconceptions that need to be changed?

Audiences

• Beneficiaries: Who does your nonprofit exist to serve?
• Volunteers: Tell me about your star volunteer.
• Board of Directors: How often should your board be updated on the project and able to weigh in on feedback?
• Donors: What is the typical profile of a person who funds your nonprofit’s work? What motivates them to give?
• General Public: Why should the average person care about your mission?

Internal Communication

• Communication Preferences: How would you prefer to receive design updates and review creative work?
  • Emails
  • Calls
  • In-person meetings
  • Recorded presentations
• Internal Capacity: How much time will your team need to review and provide feedback?
• Previews: Are there any staff or board meetings we should plan for in advance? 
• Ongoing: After launching the new brand and/or website, who will manage and make updates?
  • Pro tip: Involve this person in the branding and website process!

Assets & Logins

• Strategic Plan: Share your nonprofit’s strategic plan or most recent brand guideline.
• Design Assets: Gather your logos, color palettes, fonts, and photography.
• Writing Samples: Gather excerpts from web copy, flyers, giving campaigns, blogs, social media posts, PR statements, email communications, and/or other sources that demonstrate your organization’s voice/tone.
• Design Inspiration: Find examples of nonprofit branding you like and dislike.
• Website: If applicable, gather login information for hosting, CMS, email marketing, analytics, etc.

By taking the time to answer these questions, you’ll set yourself up for a smooth and successful branding project. Having a clear idea of your goals, your team’s preferences, and how you want to communicate will make it easy to work with a design firm and ensure that the final result reflects your nonprofit’s mission and keeps your team engaged in the process.

Doing this groundwork now means you’ll save time and effort later, making sure your new brand or website not only looks amazing but also works for your organization’s unique needs.